Nature and wildlife photography by PC PHOTO

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3 things you need to know about Great Blue Herons

When Great Blue Herons change who is in charge of keeping watch on their nest they perform a Nest Relief Ceremony, it is part of the pair bonding rituals where they clap their bills together.

They swallow the food they hunt for and regurgitate it to feed their chicks. Some of the contortions were comical looking especially with the breeding plumage billowing in the breeze.

They aren’t necessarily fond of being watched when feeding their chicks. This adult went through the motions of bringing up the food several times but waited until there was no one on the trail to watch it feed the chick.

It is good to look back from whence you walk. Once the trail was clear of onlookers the first hatched chick popped its head above the nest and gladly received its food.

Several days after getting a look at the hatchling I visited the nest again and was happy to see there was a second chick in the nest. They were tugging at the adult’s feathers in this view. Their downy feathers are adorable.